CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL REGIONAL DAILY DIGEST – MAR. 1ST
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
The first of eight state qualifying spots will be handed out today, as Denver Jewish Day and Front Range Baptist tangle in Region 3. The other seven regions will have semifinal action, setting the stage for a furious round of games on Saturday.
REGION ONE (HOSTED BY #1 MCCLAVE)
#1 McClave (17-4) vs #32 North Park (9-11) 3PM
District 2 champion, McClave has won 12 straight heading into its regional semifinal. The Cards eked out a 47-45 win over Cheyenne Wells in double OT to win the district crown last weekend. Tuff Kelley (15.9 ppg, 8.9 rebounds) and Conner Forgue (14.7 ppg, 5.1 rebounds) are a formidable duo for the Cards.
North Park had its three-game winning streak snapped by De Beque in the District 1 semifinals. The Wildcats fell by a 53-42 count in that contest. The Wildcats have their own solid 1-2 punch in Gavin Pittington (15.0 ppg) and Jace Cornelison (11.6 ppg).
#16 Springfield (14-7) vs #17 Pikes Peak Christian (16-5) 4:30PM
Springfield’s four-game winning streak came to an end in the finals of District 3, when the Longhorns was edged 58-54 in OT by Kim/Branson. Colby Batterton leads them at 18.9 points and 4.4 steals a contest, while Cooper Stolebarger adds a double-double of 12.7 points and 10.5 rebounds.
Pikes Peak Christian beat Genoa-Hugo 60-54 to win the title of District 7 and extend its winning streak to four games, but it wasn’t enough to propel the Eagles into the top-16 of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index, which would have given them a home regional. Eddie Harmon is a regular when it comes to collecting double-doubles, averaging 18.7 points and 12.7 rebounds. Isaiah Wehner (13.3 ppg, 8.6 rebounds) and Noah Sachsenmaier (10.9 ppg) give the Eagles three top scoring threats.
REGION TWO (HOSTED BY #2 CHEYENNE WELLS)
#2 Cheyenne Wells (18-4) vs #31 Dove Creek (8-13) 4PM
Only two of the four losses by Cheyenne Wells came against in-state opponents. One was to Eads in the regular season and the other to McClave in the District 2 finals. Sophomore Corey Hill has developed into one of the top players in the classification and averages 16.1 points and 12.8 rebounds. Carson Noe is a solid complement, giving the Tigers 11.7 points and six rebounds.
Dove Creek had to scratch and claw to get into the regional field, and the Bulldogs were able to do so despite dropping four of their last six outings. That includes a 55-42 semifinal loss to Nucla in District 1. Sheldon Gardner leads the Bulldogs at 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, while Liam Hassell adds nine points and almost seven rebounds.
#15 Arickaree (17-3) vs #18 Denver Waldorf (14-6) 5:30PM
The Bison were bounced by Lone Star in the District 5 quarterfinals, 63-61, snapping a five-game winning streak. That included a 56-52 victory over Denver Waldorf on Feb. 12th. Jake King, who leads the Bison at 14.2 points a game, had 13 in that win. As did Dillon Noletubby (10.7 ppg), while Nic Hermes (11.2 ppg) scored 12 and Austin Wright (10.2 ppg) tallied 10.
Denver Waldorf won two straight after that loss at Arickaree, but the Spartans were also knocked out of their District 8 tournament in the quarterfinals, as Front Range Baptist took a 59-50 win. In the defeat against the Bison, Cayden Quinn (17.0 ppg) led the way with 15 points. Henry Lottridge (12.8 ppg) added 12, and Seth Carr (4.8 ppg) posted 11.
REGION THREE (HOSTED BY #3 DENVER JEWISH DAY)
#3 Denver Jewish Day (17-3) vs #14 Front Range Baptist (16-7) 2:45PM
The hosts in the bracket got a bit of a surprising push in the semifinals, as #30 South Baca stayed within striking distance of Denver Jewish Day on Thursday. The Tigers eventually went on to claim a 57-46 victory behind 17 points from Keenan Winnerman and 15 from Solly Bielsky.
The Falcons had their hands full with #19 Kim/Branson before pulling out a 59-49 victory. Benjamin VanDenBerghe scored a game-high 20 points for Front Range Baptist, earning the Falcons another shot at Denver Jewish Day.
In the regular season, the Tigers collected a 71-61 victory, getting 25 points apiece from Winnerman and Lev Friedman, while the Falcons got 20 from Alex Prelog. Denver Jewish Day backed that up with a 63-53 win in the District 8 semifinals last week. It was Bielsky’s 20 points that led the way for the Tigers, while Prelog had 21 for Front Range Baptist.
REGION FOUR (HOSTED BY #4 STRATTON)
#4 Stratton (17-5) vs #29 Moffat (13-7) 5:30PM
After ending the regular season with a loss to 2A Limon, the Eagles rolled up three straight wins to claim the District 5 title. They took down Idalia 64-49 in the finals, giving them two wins over the Wolves in just over a week. Cyler Notter paces Stratton with 12.7 points and 6.2 rebounds, while Von Isenbart pushes him at 12.4 points and six rebounds.
Moffat opened the season 10-1, but only finished 3-6 the rest of the way. The Cowboys were booted from the District 6 semifinals by Sierra Grande, 48-43. Ziah Pesqueira (18.7 ppg) and Noble Cole (11.4 ppg, 9.8 rebounds) power their attack.
#13 Otis (14-7) vs #20 Sangre de Cristo (14-7) 2:30PM
Otis had a small halftime lead over Stratton in the District 5 semifinals last Friday, but fell 55-51. It was just the third loss in the last 10 contests for the Bulldogs, who are led by Charlie Kendrick (15.1 ppg, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.9 steals) and Sawyer Packer (12.4 ppg, 11.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks).
Sangre won six of its last eight heading into regionals, but did fall to Sierra Grande 50-42 in the District 6 finals. Kaiden Smit averages a double-double (16.0 ppg, 11.3 rebounds) and Deacon Rogers chips in another 11.3 points a contest. Kolby Shellabarger is a strong third option for the T-Birds, scoring more than eight a night.
REGION FIVE (HOSTED BY #5 BELLEVIEW CHRISTIAN)
#5 Belleview Christian (18-3) vs #28 Granada (7-15) 5PM
Despite losing to Denver Jewish Day in the finals of District 8, the Bruins snatched up a home regional when two district champs fell outside of the top-16 of the Seeding Index. Belleview Christian lost two of its final four games, both to Denver Jewish Day, but had a 10-game winning streak just prior to that stretch. Garrett Owen (19.4 ppg), Brandon Ewing (18.7 ppg), Joshua Norman (10.2 ppg), and Jagga Sandhu (8.6 ppg) give the Bruins four talented scorers.
Granada struggled to find wins early in the season with last year’s top returning scorer, Maddox Coleman, recovering from a knee injury suffered in football. The Bobcats dropped their first four and seven of their first nine, but have gone 6-6 since that start. They finished fourth in District 2, losing to McClave and Eads in their last two games. Since his return, Coleman is averaging 21.5 points. Jonus Guevara adds 12.3 points.
#12 Idalia (17-5) vs #21 Primero (13-9) 7PM
Idalia had its own share of struggles early in the campaign, as the Wolves dropped three of their first four. They then went on a tear, winning 13 straight before running into Stratton late in the season. The Wolves went 3-2 down the stretch, with both losses coming to Stratton. Kale Morris (17.0 ppg) and Tarek Glanz (16.5 ppg) lead the Wolves, but Fernando Herrera isn’t too far behind, giving the team close to 10 points a game.
A loss to Kim/Branson in the District 3 semifinals broke a six-game winning streak for Primero, who came back to take third in that tournament by beating South Baca 62-52. Brett Kendall is one of the top scorers in the classification at 19.8 points, but the Bulldogs also get 11.9 points from Mathew Pachorek and 10.7 from Xavier Garcia.
REGION SIX (HOSTED BY #6 SIERRA GRANDE)
#6 Sierra Grande (16-5) vs #27 Wiley (8-11) 4PM
Sierra Grande bounced back from a loss to McClave in the regular season finale to win the District 6 title over Sangre de Cristo, 50-42. The Panthers won nine of their last 11 entering regional play. Brian Ontiveros has played a big role in that run, scoring 17.5 points a game this season. Jadyn Martinez (13.4 ppg) and Aron Ojeda (11.4 ppg) give Sierra Grande three double digit scorers.
Wiley strung together three wins late in the season, but then ran into the top two teams in the field of 32, losing to McClave to close out the regular season, and Cheyenne Wells in the District 2 quarters. The duo of Evan Larrick (12.7 ppg) and Rhett McDonald (9.6 ppg) combine for more than 22 points a night.
#11 De Beque (16-4) vs #22 Cheraw (9-11) 6PM
With wins in six straight and 13 out of 14 going into the District 1 final, De Beque looked like it was on its way to a tournament title and a home regional. However, the Dragons were bumped off by Nucla, 54-53 in the rubber game of the season between the two. The Dragons went 1-2 against the Mustangs, with all three games decided by four or fewer. They have a talented trio of scorers in Burke Largent (18.8), Scottie Vines (15.1), and Jace Graham (13.8), and Graham also averages 12.3 rebounds.
After posting a 4-1 mark in December, Cheraw only won consecutive games once the rest of the way. The Wolverines were knocked out of the District 2 quarterfinals by Granada, giving them 10 days of rest. Tim Provost in the lone Wolverine averaging more than 10 points, checking in at 13.3 to go with 10.9 rebounds. But, Seth Reece is knocking on the door at 9.7 points a game.
REGION SEVEN (HOSTED BY #7 PEETZ)
#7 Peetz (17-4) vs #26 Centennial (10-8) 4PM
Peetz avenged a 58-53 regular season loss at the hands of Briggsdale by beating the Falcons 69-60 fir the District 4 title. Noah Naegele is in the hunt for 1000 career points, but he likely needs a deep postseason run, averaging 14.9 points a game on the season. Rhyder Bayne (12.7ppg) should get there next season.
Centennial’s three-game winning streak was ended by Sangre in the District 6 semifinals, 47-40, making the Rams 5-4 in their last nine. Devon Vigil (16.4 ppg) and Martin Navarro (11.8 ppg) handle a lot of the scoring, but Samuel Aguilera puts a lock on the boards with close to 11 a game.
#10 Eads (16-6) vs #23 Genoa-Hugo (11-11)
Eads was on a roll late, taking a six-game winning streak into the District 2 semifinals against Cheyenne Wells. One of the wins in that run was over the Tigers, who got a measure of revenge with a 46-40 win. The Eagles bounced back to win third place, beating Granada 47-39. Porter Spady leads a trio of double digit scorers at 16.3 points, while also grabbing 8.3 rebounds. Brentley Lening (13.0 ppg) and Stockton Mitchek (10.2 ppg) complete the trio.
Genoa-Hugo won seven out of 10 in front of the District 7 championship contest with Pikes Peak Christian. The narrow 60-54 loss ended up being the third in the last five games for the Pirates. One of the other defeats in that run came two weeks ago to Eads, 69-42.
Trey Smith, who averages 19 points a game for the Pirates, was held to six in the defeat. Konner Rowden-Stum, who missed a good chunk of the season with an injury, led the Pirates with 14. Lening led the Eagles with 23.
REGION EIGHT (HOSTED BY #8 NUCLA)
#8 Nucla (14-7) vs #25 Prairie (8-11) 7PM
Beating De Beque for the District 1 title was the shot Nucla needed to climb high enough in the Seeding Index to earn the right to host a region. That was the fourth straight win for the Mustangs and their seventh in eight outings. Steele Arnold (16.1 ppg), Brycen Rummel (15.3 ppg) and Slade Gillen (12.0 ppg) do the biggest chunk of the scoring, with Rummel and Gillen also pulling down more than seven rebounds apiece.
Prairie finished the regular season and district stretch on a down note, dropping six of eight, including a pair of single digit losses to Briggsdale. Brennan Bringelson leads the Mustangs at 8.5 points a game, but they also get right around six points apiece from Hunter Johnson, Lane Schock, and Riar Holloway.
#9 Flatirons Academy (15-7) vs #24 Briggsdale (8-13)
Had one more district champion finished outside the top-16 in the Seeding Index, Flatirons was poised to snag a hosting spot. Instead, the third place team out of District 8 travels across the mountains to face a Briggsdale squad over whom the Bison already own a 67-51 victory. Sophomore Pistol Chavez, the team’s leading scorer on the season, had 22 points in the win. Parker Wilson added a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Jude Meyer (11) and Trey Abeyta (10) combined for 21.
Briggsdale, the runner-up in District 4, got 26 points in the loss from Tanner Fiscus, who recently topped 1500 points in his career. Kaeden Gebauer added eight points. Scot Francis handed out 10 assists, and Dallas Glass grabbed 13 rebounds.
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